Staffing

Former Taco Bell Latin America CMO Karla Patino named Pollo Campero VP of marketing

Patino joins the company after nearly two decades in brand marketing at major quick-service chains, including Taco Bell, KFC, Burger King Chipotle and Subway.

Photo: Pollo Campeo

July 16, 2026

Summarize with

Pollo Campero, a Guatemala-founded fast-casual chicken chain, has named Karla Patino vice president of marketing and sales for its U.S. business. She'll oversee marketing and sales strategy for Campero USA, with an emphasis on strengthening the brand's ties to U.S. Hispanic consumers as the chain works to grow its footprint. Pollo Campero operates more than 150 U.S. locations and has set a goal of reaching 250 by 2030.

Patino joins the company after nearly two decades in brand marketing at major quick-service chains, including Taco Bell, KFC, Burger King, Chipotle and Subway. She most recently served as chief marketing officer for Taco Bell Latin America, where she led the brand's first international artist partnership, a Taco Tuesday campaign featuring Latin music artist Myke Towers. During her earlier tenure at Yum Brands, she led market turnarounds for KFC in Colombia, Costa Rica and Brazil, helped build out the sandwich category for the brand and oversaw the launch of Taco Bell in Ecuador.

Campero USA Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer Luis Javier Rodas said Patino's arrival comes at a key point as the company works to expand its U.S. presence and build on its heritage. He credited her with a track record of strategic thinking and team leadership grounded in what he described as a people-first approach.

Patino, who was born in Venezuela and raised between Venezuela and Brazil, studied advertising at the Universidade de Brasília and earned an MBA in marketing from Fundação Getulio Vargas before relocating to the U.S. in 2014.

"My ultimate goal is to make Pollo Campero the most-loved brand for the U.S. Hispanic community," Patino said in the release.

Pollo Campero, founded in Guatemala in 1971, is a brand of Corporación Multi Inversiones and operates more than 350 restaurants across Guatemala, El Salvador, the U.S., Mexico, Honduras and Ecuador. The company says it serves more than 80 million customers annually and employs about 8,000 people.